


It's Been A Year

by SummerRaine14



Category: Emmerdale
Genre: Declarations Of Love, I Don't Even Know, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-25
Updated: 2016-03-25
Packaged: 2018-05-28 16:09:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6335539
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SummerRaine14/pseuds/SummerRaine14
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Its been a year since Robert said I love you to Aaron for the first time, and they talk about how far they've come.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It's Been A Year

**Author's Note:**

> Tomorrow is the 1 year anniversary of Robert saying "I love you," I was thinking about this the other day, and decided to write it.

There was something about how Robert had been acting that morning. Aaron couldn't figure it out, he tried to ignore but Robert was different from his usual self. Almost vulnerable. It was lunch when Robert said he had to go, leaving Aaron alone with both their unfinished pints in the pub. He went to go see what was up with Robert, but Chas protested. In the end Aaron ignored her argument, and went after the man who had been there for him when in a vulnerable state.

He walked into the men's bathroom, but Robert wasn't there. He checked the back room, and Robert wasn't there either. Aaron decided to give it a bit of time. and went into the hall way. That's where he saw Robert sitting on the staircase. Aaron took a step closer, but it seemed like Robert didn't even know he was there. He appeared to be blocking himself out from the rest of the world, and was so focused on something else. Aaron leaned against the door which caught Robert's attention.  
He looked fragile and broken, eyes shining from un-shed tears. When Aaron tried to get closer Robert pulled himself back. It reminded Aaron of the rejection he got only a few weeks previous when they were alone on a park bench. Although Aaron wasn't giving himself to Robert the same way this time, it still hurt. It hurt so much. But this wasn't about Aaron, or his feelings. Today he noticed something different about Robert, and wanted to be the one that helped.  
"Rob?" Aaron whispered, leaning his head forward to look more clearly at the beautiful man in front of him.  
"Yeah." Robert lied, looking down trying to hide the tears burning up in his eyes.  
"Rob, something ain't right. You've been weird all day. Come on talk to me."  
"No, no it's fine. Lack of sleep I guess, I'm fine."  
"Come on, don't lie to me. I know you better than that, mate." Aaron said, trying to get Robert to open up.  
Robert flinched at that word. The word he hated so much, the one Aaron used with nearly everyone. The word that made him just like everyone else. And although Robert knew he was lucky to even be Aaron's mate after everything, he couldn't help but get this sick run through his blood every time Aaron called him that. His mate. Trying hard to hide the emotion and pain inside him, Robert scoffed. "Your mate. Right."  
"What's this about?" Aaron asked in confusion, to Robert's sudden change in attitude. It wasn't uncommon for Robert to hide his feelings with a snarky comment or remark, but Aaron thought they really changed over the past few months. That now they could really talk to each other. Only today's events and Robert's scoff only a minute ago, had Aaron thinking they couldn't. Or that it was just the same as it was last year, when Robert couldn't.  
"Your mate. That's all I am, and god I know I'm lucky to even be that. But a year ago I was saying I loved you and now-"  
"Wait, Robert slow down. What's goin' on?"  
"A year ago." Robert hesitated before continuing, "In this very spot, I told you I loved you. God I wanted you to say it back, but you didn't-"  
"It doesn't mean I didn't. I had said it already." Aaron responded, trying to defend himself over something he didn't really need to explain.  
"I know Aaron. It was just so early, I wasn't ready to admit I felt that way. When you said you didn't love me, that you hated me. It made me think back to that day, and I got it in my head you didn't love me then either. I mean how could you, after everything?"  
"Rob, it-it wasn't like that. I did love you." Aaron said, taking a seat beside Robert. He placed his hand on Robert's and added, "Do you ever think about how different things could have been? How much has changed since then?"  
Robert looked down at their hands, and intertwined his fingers with Aaron's. "All the time. If I had just done something different-"  
"You did love Chrissie, I know that. I was stupid to think you could have wanted me over her, the money, the power, and the image." Aaron said, with his voice breaking.  
Robert took is other hand, and placed it on Aaron's chin moving his face to look him in the eyes. "I loved Chrissie in the beginning. Not the beginning of our affair, but before we moved here. The first time I laid my eyes on you-dirty little grease monkey, I knew I didn't love Chrissie anymore." Robert stopped, to let himself take a breath and work up the courage to say what else he wanted, "I don't believe in love at first sight. Never have, never will. But I knew there was something different about you." 

Aaron tried to take in everything he was hearing. He noticed over the past couple months that Robert was able to open up a bit more, but he was never expecting this to happen. Everything he wanted to hear a year ago, everything he wanted Robert to admit to everyone was now being said. It was hard hearing it all, because so much has happened. Things are no longer the way they used to be. If only Robert was able to accept all of this a long time ago, maybe just maybe they could have been happy. But Aaron knew they couldn't go back, that dwelling on the past was a waste. Because now he's learned so much about the man by his side, despite the pain he wouldn't want to take it back.

"Did you ever think we'd go from where we were to where we are now?" Aaron asked.  
"No. You gotta admit, it wasn't all bad." Robert chuckled trying to lighten the mood.  
I let out a soft laugh and agree, "We did have our good times." Aaron stopped, before adding, "Remember that time at the scrapyard?"  
"Which time?" Robert jokingly asked. But Aaron knew Robert knew full well which time he was talking about, "We were so close to getting caught by Adam. The weird thing is, I wasn't even scared to get caught then."  
Aaron looked at him confused, and asked, "Why because Adam's so thick you could've convinced him to keep it a secret?"  
Robert looked down at his feet, trying to hide the disappointment in his eyes from Aaron not seeing what he meant. "No. I mean I was still scared of losing the money, but you and me...that day itself I was so rapped up in you, I let myself think about what would happen if we were to get caught."  
"You never showed. Always seemed so angry about it."  
"I guess I deserve that." Robert whispered, still trying to hide a disappointment that rested inside him. "What about that time at the hotel? Remember that?"  
"What when your wife came, and I had to disappear?" Aaron scoffed, hiding emotion he didn't want Robert to see. Emotion he had been hiding, emotion he was holding so heavy inside him.  
"I'm sorry about that you know." Robert admitted, trying to reassure Aaron that he did love him, even then before he said it. Before he knew it himself.  
"Well can't change the past now can we?" Aaron responded, before quickly adding, "But you talking about the time the room service walked in on us, while we were uh occupied?" Aaron laughed, trying to change from the heavy subject of their love affair.  
"See, I told you it wasn't all that bad." Robert teased, nudging Aaron's shoulder while their hands were still intertwined together.

As silence lingered over them, Aaron took the first step to ask a very important question. A question they've been avoiding ever since that cold, truthful night back in January. "Did you mean it? When you said you still loved me?"  
"I know it took me a long time to say it again. To fully admit it to myself, but I have. I have loved you since I told you in this very stairwell a year ago. God probably before that too. And yes, yes I meant it. I still do."  
Aaron leaned in closer to Robert, and rested his head on Robert's shoulder. "I guess that's a good thing. Cause' I love ya too." He whispered, into Robert's neck.


End file.
